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Today we
step off this great sceptred isle and head for sunny Munich. Yes, Germany. Now
I will let you into a little secret. The Germans brew beer. Quite a lot of it,
actually. I know; get out of here, right? No they honestly do. And some of it
ain’t bad. Ok it will never replace quality stuff like John Smiths Smooth in
the hearts of the British bulldogs. But if you’re ever over there, put down that
pint of Guinness, get out of that Oirish pub and try some of the local brew in
some of their splendid beer palaces. To be fair,
you’re probably not very likely to come across CREW Republic in too many
places. The traditional nature of the German beer scene-the very thing that
makes it so appealing-has somewhat stifled the microbrewing scene. Or rather it
had. Recent years have seen an expansion, albeit it not on the scale of some
other European countries. Mario Hanel and Timm Schnigula formed CREW Republic
to be part of this new wave. And certainly their beers and general business
approach…

Today’s
little aperitif is a special little number from those pesky little Brewdog
fellas. Actually I’m feeling rather pleased with myself as a guy in the pub
last night wanted to sell me a crate of these at a knock down rate. But I
insisted on paying full price. You can’t catch me out like that, no sir.
Anyway, apparently, this was Brewdog’s attempt to bribe Sepp Blatter into
giving Scotland the 2022 World Cup. But the joke’s on them, isn’t it? As Sepp
himself will tell you, his international reputation for integrity and honesty
is second to none. You’re no more likely to find his hand in the till than you
are to find a Russian athlete who’s a drug cheat. The bottle
is the usual 330ml and is 3.4%. On the back it states: “Vote Sepp, an
incorruptible hibiscus wit beer in honour of our tireless football führer, Mr
Blatter. Best served from brown paper envelopes to aid drinking with
greased palms, one sip of this beer and Sepp will be putty in our hands”. It
was very lively and poured fa…

Rudy’s hasn’t been open for long but has already carved out a
name for itself for knocking out some of (for my money, the best) pizzas in
Manchester city centre. For anyone who has followed the pop-up street food
trend that has swept the city in recent years or perhaps attended some indie
beer event, the name will be familiar. Started by Jim Morgan and Kate Wilson: the
name refers to their young dog, in case you were wondering, with the aim of bringing
the Neapolitan pizza experience to Manc land. Of course to do that, you need
more than just Italian ingredients and a wood-fired oven. It all comes down to
the dough; in this case it’s a 48-hour dough-making process in which it is
double-proved and hand kneaded to retain air bubbles. The result is an
exquisitely light pizza that makes you feel as if you could immediately eat
another. And some people do exactly that. Although, obviously, I don’t know anyone like that. Ancoats
is an up and coming spot on the Manchester hipster map and Rud…

There has
been barely contained excitement and a few raised eyebrows at the news that
Bury town centre is to get a new pub. An empty shop on Haymarket St, last
occupied by Betfred, has been acquired by Amber Taverns who have been granted a
licence for the premises. Those with long memories will remember that it was once the Rayners Vaults. Dating from the latter part of the 19th century, the Rayners was once part of the Raven Hotel before becoming a
destination in its own right. I recall it as having the ambience of a Wild West
saloon and certainly some of the characters who frequented it would have felt
right at home in Dodge City. It was the kind of place that if you went in and they
saw you still possessed all your teeth, the locals knew you weren’t a regular. But times
change and despite, or perhaps because of, its small size, Bury has done well
in recent times in terms of its pub stock. Unlike many other town centres,
people do still come into the centre to enjoy a drink. There ar…